The clash
Melbourne City FC will be looking to claim the city’s bragging rights this Saturday afternoon when it hosts Melbourne Victory in the Christmas Derby at AAMI Park.
City bounced back strongly after a disappointing performance at home a fortnight ago to beat the Jets 4-0 in Newcastle last Sunday.
Adrian Luna opened the scoring in just the third minute of play with a tidy finish and had completed his brace by half time.
Javier Cabrera netted City’s third just two minutes into the second half, while Jamie Maclaren also got his name on the scoresheet, scoring his 10th goal of the season in just his sixth game, becoming the fastest player to that mark in A-League history.
After the big away win, City now sits in second spot, three points clear of Western United who has also played one more game.
Unlike their cross-town rival, Melbourne Victory has struggled in the early stages of this A-League season. Victory currently sit in eighth spot on the table and have won just two games.
Other than striker Ola Toivonen (five goals), they have struggled to find consistent scoring threats, and have only scored nine goals so far in their ten games this season.
City’s defence, led by Harrison Delbridge and Curtis Good, was able to bounce back from conceding four goals a fortnight ago, to hold its first clean sheet since Round 1 against the Jets as shot-stopper Tom Glover made his senior debut for the Club.
While there may be a clear discrepancy in form leading into this weekend’s Melbourne Derby, positions on the table and current form can often be disregarded as we expect a fiercely even encounter on Saturday evening.
Last time they met
The last Melbourne Derby came in the opening round of the season and it finished scoreless. Both teams struggled to create clear goalscoring chances which meant the points would be split. Elvis Kamsoba looked to have scored for the Victory early in the second half, but the VAR ruled it offside.
The last seven fixtures between teams couldn’t have been any closer, with the last three ending in draws and the four fixtures prior being split two wins each.
Team news
Our Melbourne Derby squad is in! See who’s in and who’s out in our Team News.
What was said
Melbourne City FC attacker Jamie Maclaren
“I’ve always wanted to be a legend in my home town, Melbourne City is where I want to do it and I want to continue this run. Playing and scoring in my first derby last year was a great experience and I want to do it all again.”
Where and when
Melbourne City host Melbourne Victory on Saturday 21 December, kick off 5pm, before taking on Sydney FC at Jubilee Stadium on Sunday 29 December and returning to AAMI Park to open the New Year against Western United on Friday 3 January. Get your tickets here!
